LOS ANGELES, CA -About 5,000 people applied for the new ID on Jan 29, the California Department of Motor Vehicles said in a release. Amazing, considering this about the new license: You must appear in person the first time you apply. For travelers, the real need begins Oct. 1, 2020, when you must have a federally compliant license or other form of identification, such as a passport, to board an airplane.
The legislation setting “standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses” according to the Department of Homeland Security, grew out of recommendations from the 9/11 Commission.
President Bush signed the legislation May 11, 2005; but Jan. 22, 2018 was the first date the enhanced license was offered in California.
It took so long as there were postponements because of the complexity of reissuing more than 200 million driver’s licenses, objections to the costs that the states would have to bear and concerns that these new licenses were actually a national ID, among other things.
Through it all, the goal was clear: Your documentation needed to reflect your real identity if you wanted to get on a plane or enter a federal facility such as a military base. Several of California’s neighboring states have been in compliance for some time, including Nevada, Arizona and Utah. What documentation is required at the DMV to obtain a Real ID? It can vary, and you can see what is acceptable at the California Real ID website. However, some suggested documents you can take with you are your passport, property tax bill, Social Security card and your current driver’s license. The Real ID costs $28 as this is considered a replacement license. A new license costs $35. If my license expires this year, should I get a Real ID? If you fly and don’t want to lug your passport starting in October 2020, it’s an easy way to ensure you have documentation that will get you on a plane. Furthermore, you do not have to return to the DMV to renew your Real ID license. According to DMV sources, once you have received a Real ID, you can renew by mail or online as long as you are in good standing and have no issues on your driving record. Why not just use a passport to fly? For international flights it is mandatory to have a passport but not for domestic flights. So if you have a Real ID you do not have to carry your passport while boarding a domestic flight. If you do not have a Real ID, you will have to carry your passport even to board a domestic flight. For more info: www.dhs.gov/real-id
President Bush signed the legislation May 11, 2005; but Jan. 22, 2018 was the first date the enhanced license was offered in California.
It took so long as there were postponements because of the complexity of reissuing more than 200 million driver’s licenses, objections to the costs that the states would have to bear and concerns that these new licenses were actually a national ID, among other things.
Through it all, the goal was clear: Your documentation needed to reflect your real identity if you wanted to get on a plane or enter a federal facility such as a military base. Several of California’s neighboring states have been in compliance for some time, including Nevada, Arizona and Utah. What documentation is required at the DMV to obtain a Real ID? It can vary, and you can see what is acceptable at the California Real ID website. However, some suggested documents you can take with you are your passport, property tax bill, Social Security card and your current driver’s license. The Real ID costs $28 as this is considered a replacement license. A new license costs $35. If my license expires this year, should I get a Real ID? If you fly and don’t want to lug your passport starting in October 2020, it’s an easy way to ensure you have documentation that will get you on a plane. Furthermore, you do not have to return to the DMV to renew your Real ID license. According to DMV sources, once you have received a Real ID, you can renew by mail or online as long as you are in good standing and have no issues on your driving record. Why not just use a passport to fly? For international flights it is mandatory to have a passport but not for domestic flights. So if you have a Real ID you do not have to carry your passport while boarding a domestic flight. If you do not have a Real ID, you will have to carry your passport even to board a domestic flight. For more info: www.dhs.gov/real-id